The sophisticated courts of the classic Maya city-states offer a trove of information and artifacts. At their heart are the impressive architecture of palaces, temples, and ball-courts; intriguing relief carvings of deities, kings, queens, and scribes; painted ceramic vessels; and richly appointed burials. Cultural historian George Scheper explores the storied splendors of two such city-states, Copan and Tikal, and how the decipherment of Maya glyph-writing has opened new worlds of written history of the dynasties of these impressive sites.